Major League Baseball selects W Communications for European campaign

Competitive pitch: in more ways than one... (pictured: Yasiel Puig of the LA Dodgers)

W’s focus will be growing the brands of the individual MLB teams. The brief encompasses PR, social media, influencer engagement and some design work.

It’s part of a bid to grow the popularity of the sport across Europe, alongside advertising and sponsorship deals.

W was appointed after a competitive pitch, with a shortlist of around 10 agencies reduced to four for the pitching process.

Charlie Hill, MD of MLB Europe, said: "We were impressed with W from the very first meeting. They instantly understood the job to be done for Major League Baseball in Europe and their strategic and business results-driven mentality makes them an ideal partner for us."

W managing director Richard Tompkins said: "The Major League Baseball brand is one of the most historic and iconic in the world, so it’s an incredibly exciting opportunity for the agency to lead its plans in Europe. The approach will be very different to that of other US sport exports, and [it will] allow the agency to combine many of its diverse skills – from influencer to social, events to partnerships – across the UK, France, Germany and Italy."

The MLB has a small central London office, based in the same building as development agency BaseballSoftballUK.

The MLB’s focus on Europe comes as American football and basketball have both upped their presence in London in recent years, with an increasing number of NFL and NBA regular-season games hosted by the capital.